A good crowd gathered at the central Leeds office of Kirk Newsholme for a day’s session of learning, sharing and networking. Our host, Carey Glass, laid on a splendid salmon lunch, and our meeting place was bright and spacious. Several people sent their apologies, some unable to attend due to last minute hiccups.

The day’s main topic was Complexity. Carey Glass presented a piece on Complexity Theory and the Health Service. We looked at Olson’s and Eoyang’s basic principles around the use of complexity in organisations and Carey presented her experiences in light of these to work through. One of the difficulties for the health service is that it needs to be a complex adaptive system that nevertheless needs to work within the traditional demands of a bureaucracy. We also had a quick look at the implications of GP commissioning in light of these approaches. The attendees then divided into two groups and offered valuable reflections on working within these competing demands.

We also continued our tradition of working with emergent topics – anyone who comes to the meeting can add something to the agenda. There were two reflecting team sessions, with Shaun Lincoln and Mark McKergow bringing the issues. Mark wanted some inputs in connection with a team conflict workshop he was running in the near future, particularly about how to build a firm platform at the start of the workshop so that everyone could agree it was worth going on to explore ways of working together. There would also be two senior HR managers attending. The team’s reflections were:

Benefits of working together more effectively – for different stakeholder groups – team members, manager, organisation, our customers (and start with customers)

Compliments – find a way the team can compliment themselves and the managers can compliment them

Use a reflecting team with the manager as problem presenter and have the team help him

Use the HR people early on – multi-partiality

Model democratic processes so that the manager can use them later on

Do a ground rules session first – really important. Get them to come up with rules

Team exercise – what makes you a valuable member of the team (pairs) (what else x 15?)

Why do I like working here (starting with Sparkling Moments or something), what’s important about what we are doing, why are you pleased to be part of this team?

Put questions in joining instructions – the team members could even email responses

What are we proud of achieving since the new manager arrived?

Moving from yes-but to yes-and

Do a miracle question exercise – in a process which allows everyone to contribute, not just the noisy ones

Give time for reflection/private working/pairs

When you get to actions – could to one thing I will do and one request I have from others in order to do that/help me to do that

What would be good enough?

Given the Future Perfect – suppose that happened, what would you be doing in response to that? (Ask this as follow up question) Then build on what of that you are doing already.

Interdependency mapping exercise – who depends on who for tasks. Could cluster them in smaller groups

Accountability – what will happen next, feedback to MMcK in some form, not just a one-off exercise. Has to keep happening outside the room.

Scaling and counter gathering in small groups

Requests among interdependent groups

What do we have to get right? Divide into ‘my sphere of influence’ and requests from others

Use the HR people as facilitators in three groups of 5?

Use the HR people as affirmers of what happens in the room

Use the HR people for wider know-how and witnessing – grounds for optimism etc

Use HR people to bring an external perspective on this from the rest of the organisation

Pat Walker brought a couple of topics to the meeting; she writes

We had an excellent session at the SFCT CPD meeting on Monday 8th November. Despite the long journey and dreadful weather, I came away energised and motivated to keep going with the marketing stuff. Everyone was very generous in sharing know-how and it helps to feel less isolated. The format works well for me where there is a key presenter [and Carey’s issue was a really useful example to work on] and an opportunity for everyone to bring an issue they want to discuss or have help with. I wanted help in knowing how to go about writing a case study and how to get onto the conference circuit. Below are the ideas the group came up with.

Issue: Things to consider when writing a case study

Benefits of using case study as marketing material – on website initially

Think beginning/middle/end

Know your purpose ie., end publication, credibility, confidence

Find good examples of other case studies

See Antoinette Oglethorpe’s examples on website

See Carey Glass’s website for approach

Think structure

Think audience – academic [SFCT] and/or articles

Include lessons learned – reflections – what went well – what could be better

Get feedback as you go along – don’t wait until it’s all written up

Write case study – how it satisfies me

Share results with wider audience

Identify customer – what’s most important for you to hear

Approach editors for publication

Think about co-authoring articles

Gain permission from client to use organisation’s name

Get support form SFCT members

Issue: How to get on the conference circuit

Contact universities

Think local – what’s going on in your area

Contact Skills for health / Skills for care

Include ‘public speaking’ on business card

Asked Linkedin members about what conferences are coming up

Look out for annual conferences now

Offer to help at conferences in any capacity for free – even as a reserve

Apply

Write articles

Know your target audience

Our next CPD day is scheduled for Monday 21 March 2011 in London. We are also looking at ideas and suggestions for next year’s UK programme, which may well include telecalls at different times of day.

Join now – people joining before 31 December will receive the latest Nov 2011 InterAction journal as well as two journals next year, e-access to all the back issues, three CPD days and other activities – great value for €100. Join at http://www.asfct.org/join.php.

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Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts around working with team conflicts. I work quite much right now to try different ways of working as a facilitator/processleader in an more and more SF way (often connected to organisations trying to work together with public health issues). Yours sussan öster, Sweden.PS I’m also taking part of the Solutins Surfers Pure, in Karlstad with Björn Johansson as my teacher.